Thanks for the question @AG-fm1ik ! The orchard trees are surrounded by quite standard lawn species, mainly couch grass and clover. A living mulch is far preferable to a nonliving mulch, but obviously the practicality varies depending on the crop, this isn't the case for our Ginger, due to the harvesting requirements. Syntropic Agriculture has demonstrated that plant competition is not a default concern, it is dependant upon the growing state of the plants, as long as the grasses are mowed regularly and not allowed to enter a senescent state, they actually stimulate growth in the orchard trees via the release of auxins and gibberellins.

@@NutriTechSolutionsNTS Thank you for this eye opening answer. Orchard floor management would make an interesting topic for a future video.

Thanks @gavinmatthews5618! We have been help up launching it on the website, it should be up later today or tomorrow. I will send you a link once it's up, or you can call the NTS sales team directly. nutri-tech.com.au/pages/contact-us

The NTS Extra Heavy Duty Sap Extractor is now available via the website, nutri-tech.com.au/products/nts-extra-heavy-duty-sap-extractor

Thanks @andrewharalam7029, that is a great suggestions. It certainly a powerful plant with a lot of potential, but as you highlight the hurdles to progress aren't necessarily plant related.

Thanks @falzala ! Yes, green or brown leaf will be fine in this context, as we are mainly interested in the silica. But as it is being fermented the additional nitrogen will be beneficial to the process.

Thanks @olabandola5753 We are working on an online Certificate in Nutrition Farming course, if you sign up to the Newsletter we will notify you when it's is ready to launch. Thanks for the suggestion we will explore the potential for a Home Gardening focused version.

Thanks for the question @lindamedders6700 ! You can certainly add other foods/minerals if you want to, but that mixture of hay/straw, lucerne and cow manure is sufficient for a basic worm diet. Ideally, you want to maintain a 50:50 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in a healthy worm farm.

Can I bring in a Sample of soil to have tested for trace minerals at NTS Yandina?cheers Carol

Thanks @danielhayes137 ! We have international distributors, and New Gen Agri in the UK stocks most of our products. newgenagri.com/product/tri-kelp/ Otherwise, you can look for products that include similar kelp species. I hope that helps!

@@NutriTechSolutionsNTS Yep it does, would there be a native substitute that i could self harvest that may fill this niche?

@@danielhayes137 I just use a kelp meal I was able to purchase. After using it as food in a compost tea, there was a huge increase in bacteria after 24 hours. I use a microscope... sometimes LOL

Yes @bernardkeays9756, Bamboo leaves and Rice Husks are two other readily available sources with high silica content.

Thanks @markhiggins3054 ! Generally the bulk molasses available at agricultural stores will contain Sulphur Dioxide. It is definitely better to use unsulphured molasses, but we have produced many successful ferments using sulphured molasses. Likely there will be some negative effects on biodiversity, as a subset of more sensitive microbes won't perform as well, but the effects don't seem to be over significant for backyard brews. This seems to be the case in Australia, but the sulphur dioxide content will likely vary across different regions, so it's probably a good idea to test sulphured vs unsulphured molasses in your area to confirm this is the case. I hope that helps!

Thank you Winfried 😄, always good to get the hands dirty!

Thanks for the question @christopherburman3340 ! The general recommendation is a 40:1 dilution, we suggest 3-5 litres for foliar and 10-15 litres for soil applications. Though as it comes directly from a plant without being concentrated you can be quite generous with application rates if you are looking to increase available silicon levels in your soil, especially if you are buffering these applications with microbial foods, like fulvic acid, molasses and kelp. I hope that helps!

​@NutriTechSolutionsNTS : appreciated thank u

​@NutriTechSolutionsNTS : appreciated thank u

Thanks @nedobrien6375! Yes, the 200L tank in this instance could now be utilised for any form of anaerobic ferment. You could possibly trial a continual fermentation, as long as the BAM remains stable it possible. There are many people using these types of backyard brews, but you would likely find it would get contaminated with other possibly less desirable microbes over time.

@timmcilraith8762 Yeast can be a valuable source of vitamins, minerals, and proteins. So it can be useful source of nutrition for higher order biology, but ultimately it isn't essential for worms, they will bring their own fungal and bacterial associates.

Thank you Graeme for your answer. 🐛

@Yourgolfplace great to hear! As long you cover the pile with a very thick straw layer this process can be done anytime of the year. Microbial activity can generate it's own heat, so if you include some materials with a higher cellulose content and less volatile sources of nitrogen it will take longer to break down and this source of warmth can be maintained for prolonged periods. Obviously if it cools down too much or freezes biological activity with slow down or halt entirely, but they will recover once things thaw again. Happy composting!

@JamesMcnichol-ss2oc Yes, you could include BAM in this process it would add it own spectrum to biological diversity. But in this instance we are wanting to magnify the diversity of microbes in the worms microbiome. I would suggest adding brews BAM to the final extract when it is about to be applied, this way you maximise the best of both worlds!

I’ve seen other examples of this from Aust - about 10 to 20 times the size or so. Using tractors etc. it seems to scale up nicely. They don’t use totes - just a long strip like he’s doing here.

Thanks for the question @brucedunn1444 ! I will dig into our archives and see if I can find any existing research that would be relevant to this, otherwise we will add this to our to do list. One point I will highlight is that the microBIOMETER measures microbial biomass, this is very helpful, but it is not a measure of biological activity. So we may not see a significant difference between fresh and stored extracts. Microbial respiration would likely be a better measure, but this is a well known trade off. Ideally, if you want the highest biodiversity and activity from a compost extract it is best applied as soon as possible with a broad spectrum of microbial foods to maximise activity upon application. The storage process is just another useful tool, as it isn't always practical to extract on demand. Understanding the limitations of any method and finding a practical balance is what we seek to achieve. I hope that helps!

Yes @StephenBokla, Rock dust is a great additive, though it does all depend on the rock and the amount required. There are many valuable additives when it comes vermicomposting more braodly, but as the major intention for this is as a biological inoculant its not essential.

Thanks @joseluizm.garcia998 ! That sounds like a perfect environment!

if it's wet thoroughly it'd be pretty heavy and condensed really

You don't know what you are talking about.

Thanks for the suggestion @lenboyle7891, but if you consider these risks before hand and locate the pile as we have in a sheltered area, this shouldn't be a concern. Otherwise it's quite easy to use a wider landscape/weed mat, such that you can wrap it back over the top, using pegs to secure it.

Is loosen same as Lucern ??

Yes, it is Lucerne AKA Alfalfa.

This is a courser bag we use for the extraction process, it is simply made out of shade cloth and maximises the extraction. But we also offer a 100 micron bag which you can either use for the extraction or for filtering to minimise particles during application. nutri-tech.com.au/products/100-micron-compost-tea-bag

Thanks @MikeStewart-Jacks ! We generally recommend 50 litres per hectare, diluted appropriately for your application. This can vary widely depending on the situation. If it is based on quality compost, there are very few risks to over-application. Generally, we recommend not exceeding 10:1, but you can achieve results with 500:1. For foliar, this would be the amount required to saturate the aerial surfaces of your crop, the tell-tale sign being the initial formation of drips from the leaves.

Thanks for the question @ChristopherBurman-ie2lk ! Ideally you should use a biological extract as soon as possible, but yes Graeme does mention various alternatives for using it the next day, or stabilising it for prolonged storage. If you are going to use it the next day, you would be best to maintain vigorous aeration and supply a lot more food to keep them active, this would be a hybrid extract/tea process. I hope that helps!

@@NutriTechSolutionsNTS I was listening to Graeme talking about making a protozoa tea. he said two days being slowly oxidised. I have made an extractor unit like the one in this vid. Would that unit work for protozoa tea or would it be too vigorous?

Thanks for the question @BoydLees ! 1) Yes, you can purchase a quality vermicompost or produce it yourself. 2) The volume isn't so important, it's more about the ratio 10:1 water to compost. Yes, vigorous agitation either by air or water is required to wash the microbes off the compost media. 3) Yes, as these are compost based micro-organisms they are most suited to soil applications, but there is significant overlap with microbes that live in the phyllosphere (aerial plant surfaces) so there are still benefits to foliar applications. If you have done a good job of extracting the microbes during the extraction process this shouldn't be very biologically active, but it will still contain valuable organic materials. So it can be added to a new compost pile or simple added to garden beds etc. I hope that clarifies things, we will be continuing to explain these ideas in the remaining episodes.

@@NutriTechSolutionsNTS Brilliant. Thank you

Thanks for the questions @GARDENER42 ! We really don't like to think of one practice as better or worse than any other; it's more about which practice is most appropriate to the context at hand. Direct compost applications, spraying compost extracts, and teas all have their benefits. The value of water-based extracts is that they allow us to supply valuable moisture and nutrients with the microbes, allowing them to be spread more evenly and to penetrate deeper into the soil. They are often a more practical option in broadacre applications.